Jesus Sets The Highest Standards For His Students Series

Jesus Sets the Highest Standards for His Students

The Gospel of Matthew

Matthew 16:20-25

Sermon by Rick Crandall

(Prepared September 7, 2022)

BACKGROUND:

*In Matthew chapters 14-16, Jesus Christ continued to prove that He is the Messiah promised in the Old Testament. With both His works and His words, Jesus proved that He was the Son of God, sent to be the Savior of the world.

*In Matthew 14 Jesus miraculously fed 5,000 men, plus thousands more women and children. Then He walked on water 3 or 4 miles out to His disciples on the Sea of Galilee. After that, Jesus healed a great multitude of people. In Matthew 15 Jesus healed a demon-possessed girl and miraculously fed 4,000 more people. In Matthew 16 Jesus warned against having wicked, unbelieving hearts. He also warned against following any teachings that deny Him as the Christ.

*Then in Matthew 16:13-16 Jesus got to the heart of the matter:

13. When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?''

14. So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.''

15. He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?''

16. And Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.''

*Jesus is the crucified and risen "Christ, -- the Son of the living God.'' And in Acts 1:8 our Risen Savior tells His followers to be His witnesses "in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.''

*If Jesus were speaking here today, He would say, "Be my witnesses from West Monroe to the ends of the earth." But here in Matthew 16:20 Jesus said just the opposite: "Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ."

*That sounds pretty confusing to us. But J. Vernon McGee estimated that the Lord was only six months away from the cross. And William MacDonald explained that "because of Israel's unbelief, no good could come from proclaiming the news, and great harm might come from a popular movement to crown Jesus as King, since that move would be horribly crushed by Roman soldiers. (1)

*Verse 21 says, "From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day."

*As Jesus focused on the cross here, He was speaking to His 12 disciples, and Jesus set the highest standards for His disciples. But we must understand that the word "disciple" means "student," "learner," "follower," imitator." And in the bigger sense, every Christian, every true believer in Jesus Christ, is also called to be a disciple of the Lord.

*Yes, we are citizens of Heaven, children of God, friends of God, and much, much more. But we are also called to be disciples of Jesus Christ. And the same standards that Jesus gave to the twelve, apply to all of us today. Please think about this truth as we read Matthew 16:20-25.

MESSAGE:

*I read about a little boy who was trying to memorize some Scripture, and he accidentally got two verses jumbled together. It came out this way: "A lie is an abomination unto the Lord. . . -- And a very present help in trouble." (2)

*Some people live like that's a real verse from the Bible. But Jesus always tells the truth. And in this Scripture where the Lord calls us to be His disciples, He doesn't sugar-coat it. Jesus wants us to know the truth about being one of His disciples. He wants all of us to count the cost, so in vs. 24 the Lord tells us three things we must do as His disciples.

1. FIRST, WE MUST SAY "NO" TO OUR SELFISHNESS.

*In vs. 24, Jesus said, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself." Why does the Lord ask us to deny ourselves? One of the main reasons why is because we have a self to deny. It's the part of us that gets grumpy, grouchy, gripey and whiny.

*It's the part that only cares about me, and has to get its own way. It's the part that has to get the last word, and is so quick to criticize others. Worst of all, it's the part of us that pulls away from the things of God, and gets in the way of what the Lord is trying to do. Paul was talking about this selfish, sinful nature in Romans 7:18 when he said, "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwells no good thing."